Ulster Unionist Party Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has expressed shock and sadness at the sudden and untimely passing of Liam Clarke, the Political Editor at the Belfast Telegraph.
Mr Nesbitt, himself a former news journalist said:
“I am stunned and deeply saddened to hear of Liam’s death. At this time, our first thoughts are with his family, friends and many colleagues, not least in the Belfast Telegraph.
“Liam was hugely professional, always probing and persistent, yet also totally trustworthy.
“I remember him as a senior print journalist with the Sunday Times when I began my career with BBC Northern Ireland. He was someone worth reading, listening to and following.
“News journalists do a job that some people do not always like, so the journalist’s ambition must be to earn respect, which is quite a challenge in a divided society like ours. Liam won that universal respect, deservedly so.”